


Without Winter

by Niobium



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Star Trek: Into Darkness Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 11:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/811340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niobium/pseuds/Niobium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles set during/after Star Trek Into Darkness, centering on the unknown futures of James Kirk and Carol Marcus (as a result, probably CD and definitely AU-ish).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Without Winter

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to split off anything really AU/CD from the other piece so as not to muddy things, and then I realized the only real AU/CD I'm interested in is a) wondering how things with Carol play out differently in this new timeline and b) imagining her as a woman of color. Fair warning: I live in a world where Carol Marcus is actually portrayed by someone like the radiant Paula Patton.
> 
> This may never get much longer, but maybe it will.

***

"You're allowed a little TLC, you know."

Jim looks up from his tablet, then back down at it. "What?"

 _World's dumbest smart guy_. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed the way she's been looking at you."

He looks up again, and Nyota can see the understanding in his eyes, even though he's trying very hard to not react to what she's said. (She wonders if he's been watching Spock for how to do it.) They stare at each other for almost a minute before he looks away. "I'm the captain, Uhura, that makes it awkward. And probably against regulations."

Trust Kirk to not know if something is against regulations. "Spock being the commander doesn't?"

"It's different, Uhura."

She actually thinks it is, but probably not for the same reason he does. "And if she transfers off the ship?"

He's already trying to go back to the forms, of which there are hundreds. (When Spock received the set, it had been thousands.) "Why would she do that. The Enterprise is practically a dream assignment for anyone."

"Maybe she's dreaming about other things now."

He sighs and puts down his tablet. "Are you speculating or have you seen her file something?"

"Just last week."

That makes him pause. "Did she say why?"

Uhura shrugs, and though she'd love to torture him a little longer she decides against it. "I had dinner with her. We talked about a lot of things. In particular, how she's lost all of her interest in working on weapons technology."

He looks relieved. _No, Kirk, the universe isn't always about you!_ Sometimes she wants to punch him.

"What's she looking at?"

"The Vulcans are working on large-scale terraforming projects. She's trying to get a head start on getting into one."

"...hence dinner with you."

"Probably," she says, keeping her tone light. He's quiet for a spell, and when she looks up she sees he's staring out one of the large bay windows at the stormy spring sky. Construction equipment looms in and out of view against the dark gray and white clouds that billow over the Bay. He sucks in a breath and goes back to all of the research requests. After a minute of reading, he grimaces at something and swipes across the tablet's display. Uhura feels pity for whomever he's relegating to a lesser vessel.

"I guess we'll see if I get a transfer request."

She saves out the form she's just completed and moves on to the next one. "I guess we will."


End file.
